As is well-known military tanks move on caterpillar treads and are capable of moving over virgin terrain with no roads. However, the maximum speed of such tanks damages improved roads. Hence, to move tanks quickly to a scene where they are wanted when there are roads available, or when the terrain is sufficiently regular as to permit passage of wheeled vehicles, it is common practice to move tanks on wheeled carriers from one site to another. Such carriers heretofore have been of limited utility. A tank must move on to the trailer longitudinally of the trailer and from the rear thereof. This requires a tank to pass over the rear wheels and tires. It therefore is common practice to have the load supporting floor approximately above a level with the top portions of the trailer tires. This causes a tank to be carried too high, whereby it cannot pass under many overhead bridges, and wherein it presents a composite center of gravity that is much too high, resulting in an unstable structure.
As an alternative thereto the load supporting floor could be between the front and rear wheels of the trailer and lower than the top portions of the wheels and tires. This is disadvantageous in that a tank loaded over the rear wheels would reach a position of over balance and would suddenly drop forward on to the floor, damaging and perhaps rupturing the floor, and very likely also causing damage to the tank, bearing in mind the tremendous weight of a tank.